CENTAUREA AEGIALOPHILA

Family:- COMPOSITAE/Sect. AEGLALOPHILA

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Crocodylium creticum

Meaning:- Centaurea (Gr) Centaur, Centauros. The centaur Chiron was cured of a

hoof wound with this plant.

Aegialophila. Meaning uncertain

Stem:-

1) Very short, simple or branched.

Leaves:-

1) In a basal rosette, arachnoid-canescent, margins entire, cordate-ovate, to lyrate.

Flowers:-

1) Capitula, solitary or in pairs.

2) Involucre, c. 20 mm diam, ovoid.

3) Bracts, broadly ovate, with an indistinctly denticulate hyaline margin; apical

spine 1-3 mm.

4) Florets purple, the outer slightly longer than the inner.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, 3-4 mm.

2) Pappus, 3 times as long as the achene, reddish, the outer hairs plumose,

innermost row consisting of entire, smooth, subulate, setae.

Key features:-

1) Leaves undivided or lyrate.

2) Apical spine of the appendages 1-3 mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy and gravelly seashores. 0-10 m.

Distribution:- Endemic C. & E. Crete, Karpathos, S. Turkey & Cyprus. Limited

distribution on Crete, mainly around Sitia, Via and Ierapetra.

Flowering time:- End of Mar to early June.

Photos by:- Julia Cross